Philip Gaimon (Garmin-Sharp) got one step closer to the fulfilling of a dream when he safely finished in the bunch on the third day of the Tour de San Luis to defend his overall lead. On a stage where the wind could potentially caused some damage, the American was happy to survive and is now ready for the next big battles in the mountains.

When Philip Gaimon arrived in Argentina for the Tour de San Luis, he didn't attract much interest from the public but that has changed since he became a surprise winner on the opening day. While many at first thought that his breakaway win was only a missed opportunity for the sprinters, his splendid climbing in Tuesday's summit finish has made him a genuine winner candidate as he is still more than 4 minutes ahed of the pre-race favourites on GC.

Yesterday's third stage gave him a small chance to breathe as the rolling terrain did not offer any major climbs. With strong winds blowing across the Argentinean plains and extreme heat plaguing the riders, his team had to stay careful though.

Omega Pharma-Quick Step tried to split things up a bit in the windy sections and this prompted some nervous racing. However, Gaimon finished safely in the bunch to successfully defend his overall lead and he was happy to get safely through another day.

He even had time to celebrate the fact that the team's star sprinter had finished near the front in 4th.

"It was hot, it was long and real windy out there and I think Tyler [Farrar] got up there in the sprint so I'm really happy with the day," he told Cyclingnews. "I'm feeling fine.

“It’s been a great experience so far. I hope to keep it up."

Ben King is one of the Garmin-Sharp riders who suddenly finds himself with more work to do after his teammate has taken the overall lead.

“With the heat, it’s just really hard riding the front,” he said. “We let a good break go, [Nathan Brown] and I pulled for 80K, and then we got good help from the sprinters’ teams. … It was a hard day to be a donkey.”

Gaimon faces a big test later today when the fourth stage ends with the category 1 climb of Alto del Amargo.